DORNOCH, 'UNDYING BRONZE'

There is a possibility that Carrick's Dornoch soldier was intended to complement that of Killin (see Killin). The Killin soldier seems to have been based on Michaelangelo's David and the famous Florentine sculpture, with its tense posture and frowning expression has been widely interpreted as a portrayal of David before his confrontation with Goliath, a portrayal of that moment of decision as the simple shepherd resolved to stand and fight. The Killin soldier is similarly portrayed 'before the battle', standing easy but alert and ready for the coming fight while at Dornoch Carrick created an image of the aftermath. 'After the Battle' with its portrayal of what appears to be a slightly older soldier is a reminder of the true cost of war.

In recent years the memorial was apparently under threat from cars losing control while driving down the hill behind the memorial. Thankfully the local authority acted, re-locating the monument safely at one side of the junction. Unfortunately the bronze statue was also coated with a horrible brown polyeurethane treatment which has robbed it of its rich bronze patina and left it looking like fibre glass. The harsh reflective (wet-look) coating also robs the figure of so much of its finer detail, even including the sculptor's name written into the base.